Gaming
Two LAPD cops were fired for playing Pokémon Go instead of reporting to a robbery
The cops saw a Snorlax on their Pokémon Go map and couldn’t resist.
Want free Samsung credits? Here's $50 worth to get you started.
Reserve your interest in Samsung's new Galaxy lineup with your email—no purchase required. Enjoy up to $1,250 savings and a chance to win $5K in Samsung credit.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
Over the last five years, Pokémon Go has been incredibly popular. The game was so important to a couple of LAPD police officers that they were willing to risk their jobs to play the game.
Recent court documents shared by Axios earlier today give details about how two former LAPD cops were fired after prioritizing a few rare Pokémon instead of actually doing their jobs.
According to the documents, Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell came under investigation back in 2017 after they ignored a commanding officer’s requests.
The pair’s commanding officer for that day, Captain Darnell Davenport, called in a robbery that was happening at a Macy’s close by.
Lozano and Mitchell were close by the location at the time and likely should have responded. Instead, the pair went hunting for rare Pokémon in the mobile game, Pokémon Go.
READ MORE: Welcome to the future: Watch a driverless car try to evade the cops
Investigations into the pair’s actions led to footage from their vehicle’s digital in-car video system (DICVS). The DICVS recorded about 20 minutes of conversation from Lozano and Mitchell, where the pair talked about hunting down a Snorlax.
But the Snorlax wasn’t enough. Mitchell can be heard saying “a Togetic just popped up,” before directing Officer Lozano on where to go.
When they arrived, Mitchell apparently had a tough time catching the elusive beast. “Holy crap, man. This thing is fighting the crap out of me,” says Mitchell.
All the while, there’s a Macy’s being robbed close by that the pair should have responded to. The pair eventually left the Pokémon hotspot and went back to end their shift, with Mitchell saying, “I got you a new Pokémon today, dude.”
The two were fired shortly after the incident when investigations uncovered that they were playing games instead of doing their jobs as police officers.
It’s pretty clear that these guys weren’t cut out to be cops, so it’s probably best that they no longer work for the LAPD. Now, maybe they can spend all that extra free time hunting Snorlaxes and Togetics all over California.
Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- Texas cops are suing Tesla after a car allegedly on Autopilot slammed through 5 officers at a traffic stop
- A police surveillance database could be storing your Facebook selfies if your profile is public
- New Amazon Ring patents outline a racist dystopian future
- The folks behind Pokémon Go launched a new AR-based game
- You can now play Pokémon Crystal through this Twitter user’s profile picture
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
Buying Guide
The best streaming services (2025)
Buying Guide
Here are the best STEM toys on the market today
